Is Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s job in jeopardy this offseason?

Although many lost hope long ago for the 2022 season to end successfully, the Patriots were competing for the final spot in the playoffs on Sunday in Buffalo. Their season came to an end, however, when the Bills’ emotional return to the field was too much for New England to overcome.

It was the latest disappointment in a season filled with immense yet warranted criticism. From questioning Bill Belichick’s coaching decisions to Mac Jones’ apparent second-year regression, there seemed to be a lot more wrong with the Patriots this year than good.

Now that their season is officially over, all eyes are on the offseason. It is expected there will be several coaching changes made in the upcoming months, especially on the offense and special teams, with most assuming Matt Patricia and Joe Judge will be let go or moved elsewhere on the staff.

But the lesser discussed topic involves the job security of Bill Belichick, who has struggled to put together winning seasons since Tom Brady left in 2020. Despite making the postseason last year, how the Patriots performed in that game was disappointing. And this season was a disaster before the first game even happened, mainly due to the head coach’s personnel decisions, which were shown to be poor in the months leading to the regular season.

Looking back at what Robert Kraft said in March of last year, saying he was bothered that the team hadn’t made the playoffs in the last three years, it’s assumed he will be heavily involved in decisions made regarding the coaching staff. It has been rumored recently that he has expressed his unhappiness with the current offensive coaching staff and insiders believe he will pressure Belichick to make the much-needed changes.

However, the question then becomes; what happens if Belichick isn’t willing to make those significant changes? He’s consistently supported Patricia and Judge all season long and never truly criticized either coach for their obvious shortcomings.

What if he doesn’t believe they’re culpable for how the offense played this year?

Would Kraft consider letting him go?

Many aspects of the team need to be dealt with this offseason, but none seem as important as the coaching staff issue. As the official offseason nears, New England will have to decide quickly regarding potential hiring’s they’d like to make. Because they’re in desperate need of an experienced offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, looking into who is available should be their priority.

If Kraft wants to see his team back on the right track, changing the offensive coaches (and special teams coach) will also be stressed to Belichick, but how it all plays out will undoubtedly be the most discussed part of the offseason.